O2 Arena (Prague)
O2 Arena (formerly Sazka Arena, stylised as O2 arena) is a multi-purpose arena, in Prague, Czech Republic. It is home to HC Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga and is the second-largest ice hockey arena in Europe. It has hosted important sporting events such as the European Athletics Indoor Championships, two Ice Hockey World Championships (2004, 2015), the Euroleague Final Four 2006, the World Floorball Championship, the Davis Cup finals, as well as a handful of NHL and KHL games, including the 2014 Gagarin Cup final. It can also host stage shows, such as concerts, and other large-scale events. History The idea of building a new arena in Prague came on the heels of the "golden era" of Czech ice hockey: winning the gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics and three gold medals in a row at the Ice Hockey World Championships. The arena was proposed to be built in time to host the 2003 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, but due to unforeseen complications with the investors, the ice hockey governing body had to switch that tournament to Finland. The arena's main backer then became Sazka a.s., a Czech betting company. The construction of the arena (which began in September 2002) was not without problems, but it was finally finished in time to host the 2004 tournament, the 2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. In March 2008, the building was renamed O2 Arena. In March 2011, Sazka filed for insolvency due to debts from building the arena. From its opening until 2015, it was home to HC Slavia Prague of the Czech Extraliga. Slavia won the national championship on home ice in Game 7 of the 2008 Extraliga finals against HC Karlovy Vary 4-0 in front of a then-league-record crowd of 17,117. In 2015, Slavia was relegated to the 1.liga, and the club chose to move back to the smaller Zimní stadion Eden, the team's former home and current training centre. In its place, O2 Arena reached an agreement with cross-town rivals Sparta Prague on 24 June 2015. Sparta ownership cited the need for significant renovations at Tipsport Arena as the main reason for the move. For two seasons, 2012-13 and 2013-14, O2 Arena also hosted occasional home games of HC Lev Prague of the Kontinental Hockey League. The club played its home games of the 2014 Gagarin Cup Finals at O2 Arena, attracting the three largest crowds in league history. In 2015, O2 Arena co-hosted the IIHF World Championship with ČEZ Aréna in Ostrava for the second time. This time, the tournament re-established the record for World Championship attendance. Technical facts *Number of floors: 6 *Floor space: 35,000 m² *Capacity: up to 18,000 spectators (depends on event) *Club and Luxury seats: 2,460 *Sky boxes: 66 *Party Boxes: 4 *Seats in bars, restaurants and cafés: 2,900 *Beers that can be tapped in one break: 10,00 *Parking: 280 places *Population of its catchment area: 1.5 to 1.8 million people Gallery File:Sazka-arena-02.jpg|Interior of O2 Arena File:Sazka arena.jpg|View from Ocelářská street References Category:Arenas in the Czech Republic